Recollections of an Old Soldier

David Perry was an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War, which resulted in the founding of the United States – this autobiography recalls his early years, and his role in the conflict.


Born in colonial Massachusetts on August 8th, 1741, Perry had a difficult childhood – the death of his mother when he was merely seven meant he was sent to live with his uncle to learn the trade of tanning and shoemaking. Like many boys of his time, he received basic militia and leadership training in the countryside of New England, and saw battle whilst a teenager. Perry’s earliest memories of conflict consist of his regiment receiving hails of French musket fire – with surgery unavailable, many men lived with musket balls in their bodies until they died.


Eager to fight, Perry also served in conflicts in Quebec, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, becoming a battle-hardened young man. Between 1762 and 1775 he enjoyed a period of peace in his life, marrying and living by his skills as a shoemaker. However, the arguments between colonial North America and Great Britain boiled over to war – as a soldier fighting for the cause of an independent United States, Perry would face the greatest dangers of his life.